Having Fun In Edwardian England: 1900-1910

~ beetleypete

Never let it be said that the Edwardians didn’t know how to relax and enjoy themselves. But they made sure to always be dressed for the occasion.

Children enjoying a day at the beach.

This girl has used a bathing machine to protect her modesty when changing into her swimsuit.

Keeping out of the sun by sitting in a beach hut.

Ladies exploring some rocks during a trip to the coast.

Reading quietly in the back garden.

Watching the waves at a seaside town.

A bicycle trip with their loyal dog.

Enjoying the antics of their pet parrots.

A celebratory tea-party for children.

Watching an open-air show at the beach.

Pretending to be Bedouins in your own back garden.

Dressing up as a sailor in the navy.

Having fun with your siblings at the end of the garden.

46 thoughts on “Having Fun In Edwardian England: 1900-1910”

  2. I lived in Eastbourne for a few years when I was in the UK, and their museum had some lovely images of that era as well. I still have some postcards from the place. I was fascinated by the bathing machines. What times! Thanks, Pete!

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      1. True! Even in the 1950s, I remember my mother dressing in a dress and high heeled shoes just to go to the grocery store! Today, I go in a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt! My ancestors are likely rolling over in their grave! 😉

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  6. (1) “We’re here for you Roy!”
    (2) “I’m really proud of my right thigh. Would you like to see more?”
    (3) Sitting in a beach hut chewing Beech-Nut gum.
    (4) Roxanne: “And that one over there is Topatourbiolilepiquorthite.”
    (5) The lady was quietly reading a passage in her book when suddenly her hat began to tintinnabulate. “Well, that rings a bell!”
    (6) “There’s somethin’ swimmin’ in that puddle. Nessie?”
    (7) Frustrated dog: “How am I ever going to join the circus if those boys keep hogging the bike?”
    (8) “Just our luck! We were sold to two cagey women!”
    (9) “Mum, the tea party is fine. But where are Alice, the March Hare, the Mad Hatter, and the Dormouse? You promised!”
    (10) Overheard:
    “A fish! I saw a fish! A real fish!”
    “I’ve never watched driftwood before. This is so exciting!”
    “I see a gull. I wonder if it’s Jonathan Livingston?”
    “Can we at least get a tsunami? I’m falling asleep!”
    (11) Meanwhile, the Bedouins tried to play a game of polo on their camels, but they kept losing players due to their nomadic nature.
    (12) “I was hoping for two Lions, but all I could find were these two Dogs.”
    (13) “Okay, I’ve practiced enough. I’m ready to shoot me some real cowboys. Who’s in charge of the smoke signals?”

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    1. Yes, clothes, hats, and parasols. All designed to keep their skin nice and white. Having a suntan was frowned up, as only for the ‘workers’ who toiled outside in the open air. 🙂
      I doubt they were aware of the sun causing Melanomas at the time, Don.
      Best wishes, Pet.

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  9. These are priceless. The ladies having tea in their bathing hut. I cannot imagine wearing all those clothes at the beach, though maybe in England….! I love the woman reading quietly. She looks as if she has a bee hive on her head. What a mass of deck chairs, all piled on top of each other. That is the kind of situation that would give me an anxiety attack. Sweet little boy and dogs. Good group of pics.

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  11. I imagine the uncomfortableness to their modesty. Of course they knew no other way. I appreciate the classiness and modesty of those days. I often imagine myself living in such times. Thank you for sharing, Pete!

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      1. Add that to the fact that most of them only bathed once a week and could have scabies, chiggers, lice, etc., and sat in sweat-soaked clothing for hours at a time…must have been a real mess.

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        1. The middle-classes and above would bathe regularly. They employed servants to help them wash, and to clean their clothes, and might change up to four times a day. (Daytime, lunch, dinner, supper.) Only the working-classes didn’t have bathrooms, and most of those could only afford one set of clothes.

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    1. The only thing that had changed by the time of my 1950s childhood was the amount of clothing worn at the seaside. Though my dad would usually still wear a sports jacket and tie at the beach, if he wasn’t going into the sea.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  17. Pingback: Having Fun In Edwardian England: 1900-1910 | Ned Hamson's Second Line View of the News

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